Danny Espinosa congratulates Bryce Harper upon scoring in the third inning.

Game in a nutshell: What looked like a guaranteed, low-scoring, pitchers' duel at the beginning of the night turned upside-down almost as soon as the game began. A Nationals lineup that was without Ryan Zimmerman — a late scratch for unannounced reasons — pounced on Roy Halladay for four runs in the third inning, with Bryce Harper tripling and Ian Desmond clubbing his team-leading eighth home run. Rick Ankiel added a solo homer in the fourth to give the Nats five runs off Halladay for the first time since 2003 (when he pitched for the Blue Jays and they were the Expos). Handed a rare lead, Jordan Zimmermann then gutted his way through six innings before handing things over to the bullpen, which closed out the game, with Tyler Clippard earning only the second save of his career. Thus, the Nationals beat the Phillies for the ninth time in 10 games and earned their sixth straight win at Citizens Bank Park.

Hitting highlight: Who's scared to stand in there against Halladay? Certainly not Harper. The kid went right after the two-time Cy Young Award winner, singling in his first at-bat and then crushing a two-run triple in his second. The crowd of 45,569, which had given Harper aRead more »

Instant analysis – Doc Halladay and the rest of the phillies look very old, with bench players like Orr who couldn't break into the Nats' roster two years ago.Zimnn looked pretty good, and finally got some offense to help him.Ankiel helps out with the bat tonight, after doing yeoman's work with the glove last night.

What's the difference between Phillies fans and Nats fans?They boo and we WOO HOO!!!How bout those Nats, throwing down the gauntlet against Doc while running the gantlet. They're now 26-17 and 3-2 with 28 games left in this tough stretch. Did I mention they're back in first?Next up, the Colbert Retort. GYFNG!!!

Funny (for me) to look back at what I wrote before the game in the game-thread:A DC Wonk said… Looking for silver linings to help prove to myself that RH is not invincible anymore: he's been surrendering 2 or 3 runs almost every game. (And due to our tremendous pitching, that's often enough to win . . . gulp As I was saying . . . ;-)jus' sayin' ;-)just giddy at being back in first after beating Phils again and Doc Halladay.

Jordan got run support! So glad Davey let Jordan tough it out. These guys are all amazing. Worried about the bullpen, though. Matthews out, Wang does not replace him. Lidge not back yet, Henry- who knows?

Yay, Nats win and Phillies lose!!MicheleS, did you hear FP's Woooooooooooooo Hoooooooo in the bottom of the 7th, replying to Bob's comment about rumblings of discontent among the Phillies Phaithful? I also heard some fan saying a bad word in the bottom of the 9th. Or was it a Phillies player? Anyway, Wooooooooooooo Hoooooooooooo!!

Ghost.. yes ALR looks tired and he should get a night off soon, but we won!!!! so Celebrate!!!! We have to do this to honor all the times we have suffered!!!! Especially at the hands of DOC and the Phillies!!!!

First off, J-Zim was a WARRIOR tonight. Dude's gotten all sortsa bad breaks in his previous starts but no signs of attitude deterioration this evening. Congrats Jordan…you're becoming Da Man.Second, Desi…feel the flow, baby!! You hot and you knows it.Third, Davey…way to tinker. Lombo needs to be playyed every day. Tonite's lineup was strong.Last, Bryce. Son, I love the way you play baseball. Never change, never stop, as Stevie Nicks once sang. YEAHH BOIEEE!!!natties are back on track. We are for real. The rest of the NL should start to shudder.

So, when's Corey Brown coming up? SCNatsFan said… Should have put in Henry just to make it interestingI was very psyched to have a very boring 9th inning! (Although I flinched when Orr slammed that very first pitch!)

Hope this isn't too risque but, in honor of Ruiz and his evident use of the magic word, kinda funny piece on baseball and, um, the magic word.Oh, and when Desi hit his dinger I sang "Who's your daddy?" at my tv. Now, that's what I call daddy strength.

Hey, F&I, this one's for you!TICK TOCKAt http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/2012.shtml we can see that:- the Phils have the oldest batting lineup in the NL (Nats have the 4th youngest)- the Phils have the third oldest pitching staff in the NL (Nats have the youngest)

What a joy it is to watch Harper as a rookie. He will become a much greater hitter in time if we go by the seasons that Aaron, Mays, Mantle and Griffey Jr. put together at 20. This is only the tantalizing prelude — but what makes it particularly fun is his wheels at 19. As rookies Mays and Mantle had 5 triples each and Aaron had six. Harper has 3 — in just 23 games.

DC Wonk-Everybody said the Spurs were too old to ever be any good again either after they started 12-9. They went on to win 46 of their last 53 games. The Mavericks were also the oldest team in the league last year when they won it all. Different sport, but proves the point that just because you are an older team, doesn't mean you can't win. The Phillies have at least 3 more years of being very good and competing for the NL East. The Yankees and Rangers are old, too…guess that means they should just quit now. In fact, look how old the Cardinals were last year. 6 of the 8 oldest teams made the playoffs last year. Sorry, but just don't buy the whole age argument. They have won the division each of the last 5 years and are always a better 2nd half team.

Mick-I think Giants and/or D-Backs will be ahead of the Dodgers by September, especially if Lincecum comes back to form. There could realistically be 9-10 teams within 5 games of each other at the end of the year. Should be fun.

Ankiel is still Ankiel. He strikes out or he hits a home run. He rarely walks because he rarely takes pitches. Its why he is batting close to the bottom of the order before Flores. Other than that everyone looked good … Lombo in left is a great idea until Morse gets back and that is the super utility guy's job anyway. Morse back means Tyler Moore gets returned to Syracuse where he will get to play every day.

My rule of course when we score 5 we can give up 4 or less. we did that again.JZim not as sharp as sometimes, but clutch in tough spots Phils RISP I don't have but was not good.Love the intensity harper brings.Was glad to see HRod smileing in the bullpen. Would love to get a real big lead tomorrow and let HROd pitch the 7th.Another series, I called for a 6 winning streak, and this the first of the 6. Would love to go 12-6 in the next 6 series, we have the first one under our belt. Each game against division foe is worth two games, you win and thier lost (or God forbid the reversal)

Re ALR — yeah, while he does look a little tired and no hits, he had a totally professional AB to get Harp home from third with one out — what most of the ret of the team hasn't been doing — and again set a tremendous example for the team.And you better believe thy notice it. Desi referred to ALR as his mentor out there, and it shows. Delivered last night with that game-saving snag and throw, delivered tonight with that key sac fly after Tracy didn't. Huge difference between getting one run ahead versus two against Halladay.

Cherry-picked counter-examples notwithstanding, F&I, you are missing the point like Ankiel waving at a curve at his feet. We're gloating. If, as you posit, the Phillies come back and remain competitive, then we will feel really frustrated, and crow is a bitter dish. But we are familiar with the taste, and we have no fear of it. We say they are done.

As to Tick Tock and the Phillies, I was beating that drum a long time ago. An example from a Phillies blog:0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 10:35 AM, 11/18/2011Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. Rocking chair will get you, oh you won't what hit you…— joe seamheadSign in to report abuse

They have won the division each of the last 5 years and are always a better 2nd half team.Last year with the exception of Oswalt The Phillies starters were all fairly healthy all season long. And Oswalt might have been the best of all of them when he is healthy. That's not what is happening this year. They've got Halladay and Hamels and that's pretty much it.

As to Tick Tock and the Phillies, I was beating that drum a long time ago. An example from a Phillies blog: Posted 10:35 AM, 11/18/2011 Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. Rocking chair will get you, oh you won't what hit you…Ah, I defer to Joe; your use of "Tick Tock" as a Phillies-fan taunting cheer predates mine. I do maintain I get credit for TTMP, though.

I don't think the Phillies will come back, because I am doubting Utley will be back — to the Utley of four years ago, anyway. Howard will be a hacker to be pitched carefully; Victorino and Ruiz do not make an offense. There's nobody else scary. As to the top three teams, don't expect Lincecum to come back. His velo has been down the last two+ years; his command is off — he's going to have to learn to be a "crafty veteran" and he's going to be very beatable. For the time being the Nats and Braves are the best teams in the National League with the Dodgers a step behind. They might just as well scratch one wild card team — and the NL Central winner — because I just don't see that many teams worthy of the playoffs.

F&I — granted, it's not just chronological age, but a look at the Phils shows that their older guys just aren't aging well. Howard and Utley have been in decline. Hallday (15th season) has a lot of miles on him.When Howard and Utley come back, the Phils may be a force, and they might even contend. But they're on borrowed time. And a number of them still have years left on expensive contracts, no?

Theophilius-Lincecum will be back. If Kung-Fu Panda gets healthy, they are the best team in the NL West because they have 4 great pitchers and decent lineup with Posey, Sandoval, Cabrera, Pagan and some young guys who can hit. Hope you are right about the Phillies, but their pitching alone will get them to 85-90 wins without Utley. They are only 5.5 games back…not exactly out of it. Braves, Cardinals, Giants win the division…Nats, Phillies, Reds, Dodgers, D-Backs and Marlins fight for the Wild Card.

DC Wonk-Maybe so, but the Phillies STILL have the best pitching staff in baseball, and none of their ages are even a factor at this point. The Nats have pitching talent, but other than Jackson for like 1 year, nobody on that staff has ever pitched in a pennant race, and only Lidge in the bullpen ever has either. The Phillies are going through the motions right now, while the Nats are playing these games like must-wins. The Phillies will turn it on, and I just hope we can withstand the run they will inevitably go on later in the year. They are also one of the 2 favorites to get Oswalt, who would give them a pretty good #5 starter.

Interesting quote from WaPo:In spring training, hitting coach Rick Eckstein had asked Harper … what he would do if he faced Halladay in a game this season. Harper said he would expect to see a first-pitch curveball, Halladay simply trying to get it over for strike one. Eckstein nodded and said, “I think you’re right.”Harper was sitting on a first-pitch curve, and got it, when he hit that triple.Another nice quote:“It feels good getting that final out and just hearing crickets out there,” Clippard said. Actually, it wasn't the sound of crickets . . . TV viewers could hear folks booing the home team . . .

F&I said:DC Wonk-Maybe so, but the Phillies STILL have the best pitching staff in baseball,Do they? Perhaps by reputation, but the fact is that their ERA is about 0.75 higher than the Nats. That's a lot. And that's without Storen.In the pen, do they have any good middle relievers?Hitting: the Phils will have Howard and Utley coming back (Utley's lost a lot of range in the field), but the Nats will have Morse and Werth coming back.

F&I, you need to back up your claims with facts. For example, the Spurs' average age is 27.7, which puts them squarely in the middle of the NBA. The reason they went 12-9 early was because Pop was playing a lot of his younger players to get them experience.And the Phillies have the best staff? Two pitchers with good reputations does not make a good staff

Not many of us Nats fans in Philadelphia last night, but I was one of them. Great to bring home the Curly W! The Phillie fans that were still there were pretty quiet at the end. Let's get the sweep tonight!